Rotary engine



25, 1942- H. F. VOSSELER ETAL 2,294,012

ROTARY ENGINE Filed Nov. 13, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l lE-E- five z ark?,Vosseler a AA 14/. Pie/"3rd:

Aug. 25, 1942- H. F. VOSSELER ETAL ROTARY ENGINE Filed Nov. 13, 1939 l 2Sheets-Sheet 2 .1712/6'? a ar-5 N 7% il ow'er 3 5254 /7 14 ie/5 d Ju y?Patented Aug. 25, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT QFICE ROTARY ENGINE ZealandApplication November 13, 1939, Serial No. 804,251 In New ZealandNovember 18, 1938 1 Claim.

The invention relates to rotary engines of the type wherein a rotor isprovided with projections from its periphery, made to extend into andfit an annular chamber or cylinder in a stator and in which saidprojections travel, and also wherein working fluid is introduced intosaid annular chamber or cylinder behind the aforesaid projections and inadvance of means for closing the passage or cylinder, inlet and exhaustports being provided to and from, respectively, said annular chamber orcylinder, at opposite sides of the annular chamber or cylinder closingmeans.

The rotary engine provided by the invention comprises a stator having arotor mounted therein to provide an annular chamber between said rotorand said stator; cross ribs on the periphery of the rotor; rotaryclosures operating in the stator and said chamber, and containing crossrecesses adapted to receive the cross ribs of the rotor; and inlet andoutlet ports in said stator in communication with said annular chamber.

In the accompanying drawings, in conjunction with which the inventionwill be more particularly described,

Figure 1 is a part elevation and part sectional elevation of theimproved engine, and

Figure 2 is a plan view of same, while Figure 3 is a sectional view ofthe engine taken on the line 3-3, Figure 1, and

Figure 4 a part cross sectional view taken through one of the ports.

The rotor I and the stator 2 are formed, and the former is mountedwithin the latter, so that an annular chamber or cylinder 3 is providedbetween the periphery of the rotor I and the stator 2, the crosssectional shape of said annular chamber or cylinder 3 being of anysuitable form, which can conveniently be rectangular.

The periphery of the rotor I has thereon a number of cross ribs orprojections 4, spaced equidistantly around the rotor I and which extendinto and are a working fit in the annular chamber or cylinder 3, so asto be capable of travelling in a circular direction through same.

At predetermined points in the annular chamber or cylinder 3 the latteris closed by circular rotary closures 5 which project into the chamberor cylinder 3 from the stator 2, said closures 5 containing in theirperipheries cross recesses or grooves 6, designed to receive andaccommodate the cross ribs or projections 4 on the rotor I for thepurpose of permitting said cross ribs or projections 4 to pass theclosures 5, the latter and 3) and the gear ratio being arranged so thatthe recesses or grooves 6 are presented to the ribs or projections 4 asrequired to accommodate same.

Inlet and exhaust ports 8 and 9 respectively in the stator 2 communicatewith the annular chamber or cylinder 3 adjacent each rotary closure5,there being an inlet port 8 and an exhaust port 9 at opposite sides ofeach of said rotary closures 5.

A connecting passage I8 in one wall of the stator 2 connects the ports 8with each other so that the latter are enabled to be supplied withworking fluid from a single inlet II, also the ports 9 are connectedwith each other by a passage I2 in th opposite wall of the stator 2 soas to exhaust through a common outlet I3.

Working fluid introduced into the annular chamber or cylinder 3 via theinlet ports 8 acts on the cross ribs or projections 4 in advance of theinlet ports 8, according to the direction of rotation of the rotor I,and imparts turning movement to the latter, while expended fluid inadvance of the cross ribs or projections 4 is exhausted via the exhaustports 9, as said cross ribs or projections 4 travel towards same.

The cross ribs or projections 4 are spaced around the rotor I to avoid adead centre efiect, and as each rib or projection 4 passes a rotaryclosure 5 a charge of working fluid is received in the annular chamberor cylinder 3 between the rib or projection 4 and the closure 5 to givean impulse to the rotor I, the number of impulses imparted thereto perrevolution being equal to the number of cross ribs or projections 4multiplied by the number of inlet ports.

Sealing rings, bearings, lubricating and cooling means are provided inaccordance with known practice.

The direction of rotation of the rotor I can for the pairs of sideplates l6 and I! which are clamped thereto in juxtaposed relation by nutand bolt arrangements I8. In the central portion of the body member theannular chamber the rotor I being geared together as at 1 (Figure 3 anth secondary chambers for us t rotary closures 5 are provided, asindicated. Incidently the ports 8 and 9 are provided in the inner platesl6 while the passages or chambers I0 and I2 are provided in and betweenthe 'adjacent contacting faces of the plates 16 and H. The rotor shaft[9 is mounted in bearings 20 seated in openings in the inner plates [6and recesses in the outer plates I! While the outer faces of the latterplates are fitted with packing devices 2| about the shaft Hi.

What we do claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates of America is:

A rotary engine comprising a stator, including a body portion having acentral chamber provided therein and also having secondary chamberscommunicating with the main chamber and further having a main inlet anda main outlet and pairs of side plates arranged on opposite sides of thebody portion and in juxtaposed relation with each other, a rotorpositioned in the main chamber and having its shaft journalled in theside plates, cross ribs on the periphery of the rotor, rotary closuresarranged in the secondary chambers and having cross recesses adapted toreceive the cross ribs of the rotor, inlet and outlet ports provided inthe body portion and in the side plates and in communication with themain inlet and main outlet and corresponding in number to the rotaryclosures with one inlet port and one exhaust port arranged at oppositesides of each of said closures,

' a connecting passage provided in and between the juxtaposed plates onone side of the stator for connecting the inlet ports to each other andto the main inlet, and another connecting passage provided in andbetween the juxtaposed plates on the other side of the stator connectingthe outlet ports to each other and to the main outlet whereby asimultaneous feeding and discharging of fluid into and out of thechamber is obtained and the upper portion of the body being providedwith annular flanged attaching sections through which are extended themain inlet and the main outlet and by which the entire engine may bemounted in a suspended position.

HEINRICH FRANZ VOSSELER.

HARRY ALBERT WILLIAM PIERARD.

